Several businesses, funeral homes and government agencies began opening up this week as a part of the Kentucky Phase One reopening move.

In an effort to provide our readers and advertisers withimportant information regarding the necessary steps, precautions and regulations that must be met for the Phase One reopening, the Clinton County News, in cooperation with the Lake Cumberland District Health Department and the Albany – Clinton County Chamber of Commerce, is providing the following regulations for the Phase One involved entities.

Funerals

Requirements for Funeral and Memorial Services

Funeral and memorial service providers will be required to meet the same Healthy at Work Minimum Requirements as businesses. In addition, funeral and memorial service providers must meet the requirements below in order to reopen and remain open:

Social Distancing Requirements

• Funeral and memorial service providers conducting in-person funerals, memorials or burials should limit attendance to no more than 33% of the building occupancy capacity, excluding any officiants, funeral directors, clergy and staff members, while maintaining social distance between household units of at least six (6) feet. A funeral or memorial service provider that cannot maintain this space must further reduce occupancy capacity until this is achieved. Additionally, funeral and memorial service providers should, to the greatest extent practicable, conduct alternative services, including recorded video and live video internet broadcasted services (e.g. live streaming social media broadcasts).

• Funeral and memorial service providers, for outdoor funerals, memorials or graveside services, should encourage services which allow their attendees remain in their vehicles and not socialize through their vehicle windows, except at a distance of more than six (6) feet. Attendees should turn off their vehicles to avoid idling and protect everyone’s health. If drive-up outdoor services are not possible, attendees to an outdoor service must maintain at least six feet of social distance, if they are not of the same household.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that officiants, funeral directors, clergy, staff-employees, and service attendees wear coverings (e.g., cloth mask or bandana) over their mouths and noses while attending services.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should, to the greatest extent practicable, limit congregational singing during services, as doing so may aerosolize infectious particles. To the extent practicable, funeral and memorial providers should consider alternatives to congregational singing, including by playing pre-recorded or live instrumental music (e.g. pianos and guitars – no wind instruments) during services.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should consider taking attendees’ temperatures and asking about signs of illness before admitting them into the funeral home, house of worship or other buildings where funeral or memorial services are held.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should not allow individuals with elevated temperatures or signs of illness (coughing, runny nose, sneezing) to attend in-person services. Funeral and memorial service providers should direct those having symptoms of COVID-19, as well as people who have had close contact with a person who has symptoms like dry cough, chest tightness, and/or fever, to refrain from participating in any aspect of in-person services and stay at home or seek immediate medical care.

• Funeral and memorial service providers making restrooms available must ensure restrooms are only used by one person at a time and high touch surfaces are appropriately disinfected after each use (e.g. door knobs and handles).

• Funeral and memorial service providers conducting in-person services must, to the greatest extent practicable, provide hand sanitizer, handwashing facilities, tissues and waste baskets in convenient locations.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should not provide communal food or beverages to officiants, funeral directors, clergy, staff-employees, or attendees.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should restrict access to common areas, to the greatest extent practicable, in order to maximize social distancing and reduce congregating. These common areas include, but are not limited to, foyers, lobbies, vending areas, and community and multi-purpose rooms. Funeral and memorial service providers should arrange seating that allows for social distancing of at least six feet separation between family or same household attendees.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should, to the greatest extent practicable, find and encourage alternatives to handshaking, handholding and hugging.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should encourage those at higher risk for severe illness per CDC guidelines not to attend in-person services. These guidelines are available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#Higher-Risk. Instead, funeral and memorial service providers should, to the greatest extent practicable, provide alternative services, including live streaming social media broadcasts. If a funeral or memorial service provider is unable to provide alternative services, they should, to the greatest extent practicable, implement hours where service can be safely provided to congregants at higher risk for severe illness.

• Funeral service providers should encourage funeral directors, staff and pallbearers to take precautions to stay safe while they are in close proximity to one another while honoring the deceased (e.g. wearing masks and minimize verbal interaction).

Cleaning and Disinfecting Requirements

• Funeral and memorial service providers should ensure facilities are properly cleaned and ventilated.

• Funeral and memorial service providers must ensure cleaning and sanitation of frequently touched surfaces with appropriate disinfectants. Appropriate disinfectants include EPA registered household disinfectants, diluted household bleach solution, and alcohol solutions containing at least 60% alcohol. Funeral and memorial service providers must establish a cleaning and disinfecting process that follows CDC guidelines when any individual is identified, suspected, or confirmed as COVID-19 positive.

• Funeral and memorial service providers, as appropriate, must ensure they do not use cleaning procedures that could re-aerosolize infectious particles. This includes, but is not limited to, avoiding practices such as dry sweeping or use of high-pressure streams of air, water, or cleaning chemicals.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should put into place protocols to reduce or eliminate repeat touching of surfaces by officiants, funeral directors, clergy, staff employees and attendees (e.g. flowers or flower arrangements, microphones, doors and door knobs or handles). If alternative expressions of support (e.g. donations to charitable organizations representing a cause the deceased or their family supports) would aide in reducing repeat touching, then funeral or memorial service providers should consider encouraging those options.

Training and Safety Requirements

• Funeral and memorial service providers should ensure appropriate signage is posted throughout their facilities to inform officiants, funeral directors, clergy, staff-employees, and congregants about good hygiene and new practices.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should ensure officiants, funeral directors, clergy, staff-employees, and congregants are instructed to avoid touching their faces, including their eyes, noses, and mouths, particularly until after they have thoroughly washed their hands upon completing work and/or removing PPE, to the greatest extent practicable.

• Funeral and memorial service providers should ensure officiants, funeral directors, clergy, staff-employees, and congregants are informed that they may identify and communicate potential improvements and/or concerns in order to reduce potential risk of exposure

Retail Businesses

Requirements for Retail Businesses

In addition to the Healthy at Work Minimum Requirements, retail businesses must meet the requirements below in order to reopen and remain open:

Social Distancing Requirements

• Retail businesses should provide services and conduct business via phone or Internet to the greatest extent practicable. Any retail employees who are currently able to perform their job duties via telework (e.g., accounting staff) should continue to telework.

• Retail businesses must limit the number of customers present in any given retail business to 33% of the maximum permitted occupancy of the facility, assuming all individuals in the store are able to maintain six (6) feet of space between each other with that level of occupancy. If individuals are not able to maintain six (6) feet of space between each other at 33% of capacity, the retail business must limit the number of individuals in the store to the greatest number that permits proper social distancing.

• If a retail business has more customers wishing to enter their business than is possible under the current social distancing requirements of six (6) feet between all individuals, the business should establish a system for limiting entry and tracking occupancy numbers.

Once a retail business has reached its capacity, it should permit a new customer inside only after a previous customer has left the premises on a one-to-one basis. Retail businesses experiencing lines or waits outside their doors should establish a safe means for customers to await entry, such as asking customers to remain in their car and notifying them via phone when they are able to enter the store or marking off spots six (6) feet apart where customers can safely stand without congregating.

• Retail businesses should ensure employees wear face masks for any interactions between co-workers or while in common travel areas of the business (e.g., aisles, hallways, loading docks, breakrooms, bathrooms, entries and exits). Retail employees are not required to wear face masks while alone in personal offices or if doing so would pose a serious threat to their health or safety.

• Retail businesses should ensure employees use digital files rather than paper formats (e.g., documentation, invoices, inspections, forms, agendas) to the greatest extent practicable.

• Retail businesses should, to the greatest extent practicable, modify internal traffic flow to minimize contacts between employees and customers.

• Retail businesses should demarcate six feet of distance between customers, cashiers, and baggers, except at the moment of payment and/or exchange of goods. Retail businesses should seek to limit activities that require employees to enter within six (6) feet or less of another person, regardless of whether they have installed non-porous, physical barriers.

Retail businesses should establish controls, to the greatest extent practicable, when six (6) feet of physical distancing is not feasible. This includes, for example, installation of portable or permanent non-porous physical barriers (e.g., plexiglass shields) at cash registers and point of sale.

• Retail businesses should implement contactless payment options, pickup, and delivery of goods to the greatest extent practicable.

• Retail businesses should ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that any paperwork can be completed electronically by using e-signature technology for signatures.

• Retail businesses should ensure, if there are any documents that must be completed in person, there is a safe process for doing so. This includes compiling all paperwork that must be completed in-person and leaving it in a single room for the the customer to complete alone. Providing a sanitized pen for customer should also be included.

• Retail businesses should reduce, to the greatest extent practicable, the number of employees and customers entering, exiting, or gathering at one time. One suggested method to accomplish this is by staggering the beginning and end times of employee shifts. Retail businesses that require employees to operate equipment or vehicles must, to the greatest extent practicable, limit the number of employees riding in the vehicle together. If riding in separate vehicles is not practicable, then employees should maximize social distancing and wear face masks in the vehicle. Thorough cleaning and disinfecting vehicles after each trip is required.

• Retail businesses must restrict access to common areas, to the greatest extent practicable, in order to maximize social distancing and reduce congregating. These common areas include, but are not limited to, break rooms, food courts, public seating, and vending areas.

• Retail businesses with warehouses and loading docks must ensure minimal interaction between drivers at loading docks, doorsteps, or other locations.

• Retail businesses making restrooms available should, to the greatest extent practicable, limit the number of individuals in a restroom to ensure proper social distancing and ensure that frequently touched surfaces are appropriately disinfected (e.g., door knobs and handles).

• Retail businesses should provide hand sanitizer, handwashing facilities, and tissues in convenient locations to the greatest extent practicable.

• Retail businesses should limit the number of delivery personnel working together at one time to the greatest extent practicable.

• Retail businesses must ensure six (6) feet of distance between employees and customers during in-home deliveries and installations.

• Retail businesses should prohibit gatherings or meetings of employees of ten (10) or more during work hours, and should instead permit employees to take breaks and lunch outside, in their office or personal workspace, or in other areas where proper social distancing may be accomplished.

• Retail businesses should discourage employees from sharing phones, desks, workstations, radios, handhelds/wearables, or other work tools and equipment to the greatest extent practicable.

• Retail businesses should extend the time period for customers to return items.

• Retail businesses should not allow sampling and customer access to bulk-bins.

• Retail businesses should, to the greatest extent practicable, install floor decals in cashier and queuing areas to establish safe waiting distance.

• Retail businesses should close public seating areas.

• Retail businesses should close childrens’ play areas.

• Retail businesses should discourage customers from using items prior to sale, other than apparel items. However, any item that has been used or tried on must be sanitized before it is returned to the sales floor.

• Retail businesses should encourage customers to touch only those items that they intend to buy.

• Retail businesses should disallow any make-up application stations or other cosmetic facilities that encourage people to congregate.

• Retail businesses should establish procedures for managing fitting rooms, including sanitation and social distancing requirements.

• Retail businesses should limit fitting rooms to one customer at a time to the greatest extent practicable.

• Retail businesses should ensure any items that are not purchased are set aside in compliance with retailer established guidelines for returns. Items, such as apparel, tried on but not purchased, would be separated and cleaned using steam or other appropriate cleaning measures prior to returning to sales floor.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Requirements

• Retail businesses should ensure that offices and workstations are properly cleaned and ventilated.

• Retail businesses should encourage employees to frequently wash their hands or use hand sanitizer, which should be provided by the retail business.

• Retail businesses must ensure cleaning and sanitation of frequently touched surfaces with appropriate disinfectants. Areas with frequently touched surfaces include fitting rooms, doors, PIN pads, and common areas. Appropriate disinfectants include EPA registered household disinfectants, diluted household bleach solution, and alcohol solutions containing at least 60% alcohol. Retail businesses must establish a cleaning and disinfecting process that follows CDC guidelines when any individual is identified, suspected, or confirmed COVID-19 case.

• Retail businesses should ensure shopping carts and baskets are sanitized after each use.

• Retail businesses should ensure employees wipe their workstations/cash registers down with disinfectant at the end of their shift or at any time they discontinue use of their workstations/cash register for a significant period of time.

• Retail businesses should ensure disinfecting wipes or other disinfectant are available near shared equipment.

• Retail businesses should encourage customers to use hand sanitizer or wipes prior to fitting room use.

• Retail businesses should ensure employees do not use cleaning procedures that could reaerosolize infectious particles. This includes, but is not limited to, avoiding practices such as dry sweeping or use of high-pressure streams of air, water, or cleaning chemicals.

• Retail businesses must ensure employees, for their own safety and that of the customer, clean and disinfect any surfaces which will be regularly touched throughout the duration of any in-home installation.

• Retail businesses must ensure the employee cleans and disinfects all surfaces which were contacted throughout in-home deliveries and installations.

• Retail businesses must ensure employees clean and disinfect any tools or supplies used through delivery andinstallation upon leaving the home.

• Retailers should clean all fitting rooms prior to use.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements

• Retail businesses must ensure appropriate face coverings and other personal protective equipment (PPE) is used by employees whenever they are near other employees or customers so long as such use does not jeopardize the employees’ health or safety. Retail businesses must train employees to use PPE. This training includes: when to use PPE; what PPE is necessary; and how to properly put on, use, and remove PPE. Retail businesses shall provide employees with face coverings.

• Retail businesses must require contractors, vendors, and drivers to wear face coverings or masks while at the retail location.

• Retail businesses should establish a policy as to whether to serve customers who do not adhere to the business’s policy on requiring masks. Retail businesses may choose not to serve those customers who refuse to wear a mask in order to protect their employees and other customers.

• Retail businesses must train employees to properly dispose of or disinfect PPE, inspect PPE for damage, maintain PPE, and the limitations of PPE.

• Retail businesses must ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that employees use gloves, along with any PPE normally used for routine job tasks, when cleaning equipment, workspaces, and high-touch areas of the business.

• Retail businesses must ensure gloves are available to employees engaging in high-touch activity to the greatest extent practicable provided that they do not create additional hazards while being worn.

• Retail businesses must ensure employees wear gloves while handling products during shipping and receiving.

• Retail businesses must ensure employees wear protective face coverings and gloves during any in-home delivery.

Training and Safety Requirements

• Retail businesses must place conspicuous signage at entrances and throughout the store alerting staff and customers to the required occupancy limits, six feet of physical distance, and policy on face coverings. Signage should inform employees and customers about good hygiene and new practices.

• Retail businesses should establish procedures for processing, handling, and disinfecting returns and exchanges before returning items to the sales floor.

• Retail businesses should, to the greatest extent practicable, implement hours where service can be safely provided to customers at higher risk for severe illness per CDC guidelines. These guidelines are available at:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/faq.html#Higher-Risk

• Retail businesses should ensure employees are informed that they may identify and communicate potential improvements and/or concerns in order to reduce potential risk of exposure at the workplace. All education and training must be communicated

Places of Worship

Guidelines for Places of Worship

Places of worship will be expected to meet the Healthy at Work Minimum Requirements. In addition, places of worship should follow the guidelines in order to reopen and remain open:

Social Distancing

• Places of worship should, to the greatest extent practicable, continue to conduct alternative services, including tele-services, radio broadcasts, and drive-in services.

• Places of worship conducting drive-in services should ensure their congregants remain in their vehicles and not socialize through their vehicle windows, except at a distance of more than six (6) feet. Attendees should turn off their vehicles to avoid idling and protect everyone’s health.

• Places of worship conducting in-person services should limit attendance to no more than 33% of the building occupancy capacity, including clergy and staff-employees, while maintaining social distance between household units of at least six (6) feet. This means that there must be six (6) feet between individuals on a row and individuals between rows, such that a six-foot radius is maintained around all household units. A place of worship that cannot maintain this space must further reduce its occupancy capacity until it is achieved.

• Places of worship should ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that clergy, staff employees, volunteers and congregants wear coverings (e.g., cloth mask or bandana) over their mouths and noses while attending services.

• Places of worship should wait to reopen youth services (including, but not limited to, Sunday schools) until childcare services have reopened on June 15, 2020. Once they reopen, youth services should follow the requirements posted for childcare services.

• Singing during services creates a higher risk of spreading infectious particles. Choirs should avoid singing. Congregants should wear face coverings and consider a greater than six feet social distance from others if they choose to sing. Houses of worship should consider alternatives to congregational singing, including by playing pre-recorded or live instrumental music (e.g. pianos and guitars – no wind instruments) during services.

• Places of worship should consider taking congregants’ temperatures and asking about signs of illness before admitting them into the place of worship. If they do take temperatures, they should consider using a non-contact thermometer or thermal imager.

If a place of worship must use a standard oral/aural thermometer, consider having the congregant take their own temperature and relay the information to maintain social distancing and sanitize the thermometer after each use.

• Places of worship should not allow individuals with elevated temperatures (100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or above) or signs of illness (coughing, shortness of breath, sneezing) to attend in-person services. Houses of worship should direct those having symptoms of COVID-19, as well as people who have had close contact with a person who has symptoms like dry cough, chest tightness, and/or fever, to refrain from participating in any aspect of in person services. Places of worship should encourage symptomatic persons to stay at home, seek immediate medical care, or get tested.

• Places of worship should use greeters to direct congregants to available masks and bulletins. Greeters should be masked, maintain social distancing, and consider wearing gloves.

• Places of worship should display markers and signage in the sanctuary/meeting space to guide social distancing.

• Places of worship should communicate with the congregation often and with clarity and transparency. Prepare the congregation for worship and for the changes that are occurring in procedures due to the national health crisis.

• Places of worship making restrooms available must ensure restrooms are only used by one person at a time and all portions that are regularly touched (e.g., door, sink, and toilet handles) are appropriately disinfected after each use.

• Places of worship conducting in-person services must, to the greatest extent practicable, provide hand sanitizer, handwashing facilities, tissues, and waste baskets in convenient locations.

• Places of worship should not provide communal food or beverages to clergy, staff employees, volunteers, or congregants.

• Places of worship should restrict access to common areas, to the greatest extent practicable, in order to maximize social distancing and reduce congregating. These common areas include, but are not limited to, foyers, lobbies, vending areas, community and multi-purpose rooms, and event spaces.

• Because of the requirement to socially distance at least six (6) feet apart, places of worship should refrain from the practice of handshaking, handholding, or hugging.

• Places of worship should encourage those at higher risk for severe illness per CDC guidelines not to attend in-person services. These guidelines are available at:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#Higher-Risk. Instead, places of worship should, to the greatest extent practicable, provide services that are not in person, including tele-services, drive-in services, and/or radio services for those individuals. If a house of worship is unable to provide alternative services, they should, to the greatest extent practicable, implement hours where service can be safely provided to congregants at higher risk for severe illness.

Personal Protective Equipment Requirements

• Places of worship should ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that clergy, staff employees, volunteers and congregants wear face coverings (e.g., cloth mask or bandana) over their mouths and noses while attending services.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Requirements

• Places of worship must ensure facilities are properly cleaned and ventilated.

• Places of worship must ensure cleaning and sanitation of frequently touched surfaces with appropriate disinfectants. Appropriate disinfectants include EPA registered household disinfectants, diluted household bleach solution, and alcohol solutions containing at least 60% alcohol. Places of worship must establish a cleaning and disinfecting process that follows CDC guidelines when any individual is identified, suspected, or confirmed as COVID-19 positive.

• Places of worship, as appropriate, must ensure they do not use cleaning procedures that could re-aerosolize infectious particles. This includes, but is not limited to, avoiding practices such as dry sweeping or use of high-pressure streams of air, water, or cleaning chemicals.

Training and Safety Requirements

• Places of worship should ensure appropriate signage is posted throughout their facilities to inform clergy, staff-employees, and congregants about good hygiene and new practices.

• Places of worship should ensure clergy, staff-employees, volunteers, and congregants are instructed to avoid touching their faces, including their eyes, noses, and mouths, particularly until after they have thoroughly washed their hands upon completing work and/or removing PPE, to the greatest extent practicable.

• Places of worship should ensure clergy, staff-employees, volunteers, and congregants are informed that they may identify and communicate potential improvements and/or concerns in order to reduce potential risk of exposure.